


Magical Melodies

by TessaGray9



Category: Tangled (2010)
Genre: Fairy Tale Logic, Fairy Tale Retellings, Modern Era
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-26
Updated: 2021-03-02
Packaged: 2021-03-12 00:40:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 7,730
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29001618
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TessaGray9/pseuds/TessaGray9
Summary: A modern day remake of Disney movie Tangled. A rich child with an extraordinary talent is kidnapped and trapped by a cruel woman and years later rescued by a young and bold journalist.
Kudos: 3





	1. Chapter 1

Esther Gothel works in an orphanage. Surprisingly enough, it paid well. That's the only reason why she works there. She hates everything else about her job. She hates the little kids, who ran behind her and called her Mother Gothel. And most of all she hates the rich people who came there to wash off their sins by donating a small amount of their money. And it was when one of these people were visiting the orphanage, when she found her treasure.

A rich family was visiting the orphanage to celebrate the birthday of their two year old daughter. The daughter fell asleep, so her mother took her to an empty room and safely laid her down on the bed. A few minutes later the mother heard someone calling out her name and went out to check, leaving the baby alone. When she came back to the room, the baby was nowhere to be found. She panicked and started searching for her daughter. Everyone in the orphanage looked for little Rapunzel but they never found her. Her parents were very heartbroken and devastated. They could do nothing but wait for the daughter to come back. They filed a complaint in the police station but it was no use.

On the other hand, Gothel had devised a wonderful and cruel plan. She got the idea when she saw the mother taking her sleeping child into the empty room. She knew that they were very rich and that this was their only child. She was sick of working here and wanted to make quick money so that she could get out of here as soon as possible. She knew that if she kidnapped the baby, her parents would be willing to pay any amount of ransom to get her back. So a few minutes later, she called the mother out and hid behind a pillar. As soon as the mother went out of the room, Gothel went in and swiftly took the baby away.

She hid the baby into a scarf and quietly got out of there. She took her back to her apartment. She lived on the tenth floor of a nearly empty building. It was supposed to be a society, but due to some legal problems it had to be shut down. So it was just a single incompletely built building in an abandoned area. Due to its position and condition, she had got the apartment at a very low price. And for the same reason, not many people lived there. It was the perfect place for committing a crime such as this. She took the baby there and kept her on the bed. Soon, she would call the baby's parents and ask them for money.

But the baby got up and started crying. So Gothel turned on the TV and put on a kids show. When Rapunzel started singing along with the voice in the TV, it felt like an angel was singing. Her voice was just magical. Mother Gothel just stood there, mesmerized. She couldn't take her eyes off the child. And when she stopped singing, it felt like the world had stopped spinning. Mother Gothel was very intrigued by this. She put on the music channel and watched Rapunzel as she sang. Her voice was so captivating that Mother Gothel couldn't stop listening to her. And when she did stop, she made a decision.

The girl clearly had extraordinary talent. Her voice was the most magical thing Mother Gothel had ever heard. Sure, her parents would give a lot of money to get her back. But her talent would earn so much more than that money. Mother Gothel decided to keep the child. She planned to raise the child as her own, give her music lessons, record her singing and sell it for a very good price. She would not dare slaughter the hen that gave golden eggs.

She kept Rapunzel in her apartment and went back to the orphanage because if she went missing, they would know she had kidnapped the child. She was thinking of working there for a little while more until Rapunzel's talent started paying off.

Next she made all the arrangements required to ensure that Rapunzel could not possibly leave the apartment. She put a lock on the door and kept its only key with herself. Now she was the only person who could open that door. There were only seven more apartments occupied in the building, but those were on the first four floors. So she was sure no one would hear anything that happened in her house. Her apartment had no balcony, so it was no issue. There were only two windows, one in each bedroom. She kept her own room locked and Rapunzel's room was at the back of the building where no one ever went.

She then bought all the stuff that a baby needed for surviving. For now all she had to do was bond with the baby. Make her feel at home and make sure she's happy enough to forget all about her parents. She was young and her mind could be moulded. Gothel wanted her to believe that she is the only family Rapunzel has ever had. She spent all her free time with her and soon Rapunzel was so attached to Gothel that she couldn't live without her.

Everyday she would play songs on the television and Rapunzel would sing along. Her singing was getting even better as the days went by. Soon Gothel saved enough money to buy a piano. She also bought DVDs to help Rapunzel learn to play it. Rapunzel would watch those DVDs and practice the piano all day long. Soon she was an expert in that too. Next came a violin and even more videos. Then a guitar. Then a drum set. Soon enough Rapunzel was a master in all the musical instruments and music itself. Then she started composing her own music. She was so good that she would use multiple instruments in her song.

Rapunzel loved her Mother. She loved spending time with her. She loved it when her mother got her all the gifts. She would try her best to please her. But when she went out, Rapunzel felt very lonely. She would spend her time staring out of her bedroom window. She wished she had someone else to talk to. Someone other than Mother. One day she said so to Mother Gothel, but she said nothing at all. That night she cried herself to sleep because she thought she had hurt her Mother.

Next day her Mother came back from work with a cute little puppy. She loved it! She named it Pascal. She would always talk to him whenever she felt lonely. She would play with him and feed him and take care of him. And when she didn't feel like doing anything, she took him to her room and sat there staring out the window.

Today, it was her fifth birthday. Mother had promised to get her a cake and a gift in the evening. But when she came back, she was in no mood to celebrate. She kept pacing back and forth in the living room and muttering to herself. When Rapunzel asked her about her gift, she got mad and yelled at her. Rapunzel ran into her room and started crying. Pascal came running behind her and snuggled up to her. Looking at his cute puppy eyes made her happy.

She picked him up and went to sit by the window. When she opened the window, she saw the most peculiar view in front of her. The night sky was filled with little balls of light, slowly moving upwards. It was the most beautiful thing she had ever seen. It felt calm. And hopeful. For the first time in her life, she felt like she was home.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In this chapter, you'll find out what is so special about Rapunzel's music. I know magic is unrealistic, buy a Disney story has to have a little bit of magic. And I'll also like to tell that this is modern era, but not like right now. So a few things might seem a little weird, but it's only because they were normal a few years ago.

Mother Gothel's day was going pretty well until some unexpected guests arrived at the orphanage. It was Rapunzel's parents. They were there to celebrate their lost daughter's birthday. They believed that this orphanage was the place where they would get their daughter back. They didn't know when it would happen, but they were willing to wait. And that's why they had decided that every year on her birthday, they would visit the orphanage. They were going to spend all day with the kids. Play with them. Give them gifts. And then they had something special planned for the evening. They were all going to release sky lanterns as a sign of hope of getting their daughter back.

Mother Gothel couldn't stand it all. She couldn't stay there and release a stupid sky lantern. So she left. She was in such a bad mood that she completely forgot about Rapunzel's gift. She went straight home. And when Rapunzel asked about her gift, she got angry and yelled at her. Rapunzel got upset and went into her room. After a while, Gothel went in to check on Rapunzel, but what she saw made her even more angry. Rapunzel was sitting by the window, hugging her dog and looking out at the sky filled with lanterns. Her eyes looked so hopeful and satisfied.

At that very moment, Gothel knew that there was no use trying to get Rapunzel attached to her. At the end of day, she felt more pulled towards her real parents than she did towards Gothel. So she decided that now it was time to use Rapunzel for what she was good at. She went into the room and Rapunzel turned around to look at her. She told Rapunzel that she had a task for her. She told her to compose a song. And promised her that if the song was any good, she would give her a nice gift.

Rapunzel just wanted to please her Mother. So she got straight to work. While she was writing the song, the only thing on her mind was the floating lights. She stayed up all night and when she was done, she waited for her Mother to wake up. When she sang the song in front of her, she was very pleased with her reaction. She was just standing there, with a satisfied smile on her face. She didn't move or do anything for a few minutes. When she recovered, she started praising Rapunzel. She made her a nice breakfast before going to work. Rapunzel was very pleased to make her Mother happy.

Mother Gothel expected Rapunzel to compose a nice song within a few days. But when the next morning, Rapunzel told her that her song was ready, she was very surprised. She thought it was impossible to write a good song in such a short time, but still asked her to play it. And when she started playing, it felt like she was heaven. Rapunzel's song was so much more than just a song. It was full of emotions. Literally. She could feel every emotion that Rapunzel must have felt while writing the song. Her need to please her mother. Her pull towards those sky lanterns. A feeling of comfort and satisfaction. It was just magical.

She was so mesmerized by the song that she didn't even notice when it ended. And when she came to her senses, she realised that she had been smiling like an idiot the whole time. She was very pleased with Rapunzel. She praised her and made her a nice breakfast, and promised to get her a gift before she left for work. She was so excited to record that song and sell it, that she could barely pay attention at work. After work, she went to a music studio and bought all the things necessary for recording a song. This was her gift for Rapunzel. She went back home and set up the room for recording the song, and then she asked Rapunzel to sing it again.

She didn't know how to use all of the equipment, so it took them a few tries to record it correctly. But when it was done, it was perfect. She copied the recording on a few CDs and took it out for selling. She went to every single record store and made the owner listen to the song. Every owner's reaction was the same. They all loved it. They said that somehow the song reminded them of their homes. They just couldn't believe that a 5 year old was capable of writing such a great song. And when they asked for the singer's name, Mother Gothel obviously lied. She had already thought of a fake name for her. Pearl. It was a rearrangement of 'Rapunzel', minus a few alphabets.

She earned a lot of money that day. Next day itself she quit her job. She made more copies of the song. She told Rapunzel that she was going out on a business trip and then went around in nearby cities to sell the song. Meanwhile she gave Rapunzel the task of composing another song. In those few days, she earned twice more than her monthly salary at the orphanage. And when she went back home, Rapunzel was ready with 2 more songs. And thus began her new life.

Rapunzel's songs were a total hit. The best thing about her songs was that it changed the listener's emotions. They felt whatever she wanted them to feel. If she sang a sad song, people felt sad. If she sang a happy song, people felt happy. And if she sang a lullaby, people felt sleepy. That was the power of her voice. That was the magic in her voice. Soon she became very famous. Everyone knew who Pearl was, though no one had ever seen her. Her songs were also being used in movies. Mother Gothel was earning so much money that she didn't need to work at all. She had hired people for publicity and management and advertisement. All she had to do was pay them. She just enjoyed her time. Went on world tours. Bought new, expensive things and just lived happily.

But Rapunzel was miserable. Soon after she started composing her own songs, her Mother started ignoring her. She would rarely come home. And when she did, she stayed in her room all the time. She wouldn't cook for Rapunzel or play with her or even spend time with her. Rapunzel had to cook her own food and spend her days alone. She missed her Mother and she blamed her music for all of this. But if she refused to make more songs, Mother would get angry and punish her. As years went by, her songs changed from happy and fun to angry and longing, to lonely and sad.

She felt alone at home. Sure Pascal was there, but she wanted someone else. She needed someone else. Someone she could share her feelings with. Someone who would talk to her whenever she felt down. Someone who would take her out into the real world. Someone who would take her out to see the beautiful floating lights. Those lights were the only things that kept her going. Every day of her life she would wait for her birthday to approach. Because on that day, the lights appeared. Every year, without fail, she would sit by the window and wait for the lights. She didn't think it was possible to love the lights more, but she did. With every passing year, her longing and her love for those lights kept increasing. A lot of her songs were about the lights. She even made paintings about it. She always wondered what those lights were and why they appeared on her birthday. She wished, it was for her. She hoped that somewhere someone was celebrating her birthday. Though she didn't believe it, because her only family was her Mother. And her Mother was too busy to even remember her birthday. Right now, her only dream, her only wish, was to see those lights up close. And someday she will. But for now, she had a song to write.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter there's going to be a few years of leap. We'll finally get to meet Flynn Rider/ Eugene Fitzherbert! I'm so excited to write it. I hope you're excited to read it too!


	3. Chapter 3

"But you said I could get anything I wanted for my birthday!" exclaimed Rapunzel.

"Not this. I will not let you out of the house. And I will not take you to see those stupid lights!" yelled Mother Gothel.

"Why not? I am not a child anymore. I am going to be 18 years old soon. I am perfectly capable of taking care of myself!" replied Rapunzel.

"I have told you thousands of times before, and I will tell you again. It is not safe for you to go out. If people learn about your talent, they will misuse it. They will use you for wrong things. They will hurt you. Not everyone is as generous as I am." Gothel argued. "And just because you are not a child anymore, does not mean you can argue with me. Now stop your whining and go to your room."

"But Mother..." Rapunzel started to say but her Mother slapped her across the face. She was too shocked to say anything. She couldn't believe that her Mother had just slapped her. She had never hit her before. She stared at her Mother with tears in her eyes.

"Go to your room!" Gothel commanded.

Rapunzel ran into her room and cried herself to sleep. She just wanted to go outside and see those floating lights. That's all she asked for. She couldn't understand why her Mother reacted that way. She was old enough to know what was good for her. And how would anyone ever find out about her talent? It's not like she burst out into songs every other minute. Besides, how would anyone ever use it in a wrong way? She believed that there was no wrong way to use music. But she couldn't act against her Mother's orders. She loved her and respected her and no matter what, she trusted her.

It was getting very difficult for Gothel to control Rapunzel. As she got older, she got smarter. And now she wanted to go out. Gothel didn't know how to handle this situation. The only thing Rapunzel wanted was to see the lanterns. And those lanterns could only be seen on her birthday. If she didn't see it this year, she would have to wait another year. So Gothel decided to go away for a few days. Rapunzel couldn't get out of the house if Gothel wasn't there. And once her birthday had passed, she wouldn't insist on going out again for at least another year. So she woke Rapunzel up and told her that she had to go away for a few days. She said it was an emergency and that she had to go. She apologized for not being there for her birthday and left.

Rapunzel knew that her Mother was a very busy woman, but she had never missed her birthday before. She would be away for days. But every year, she would come home for her birthday. But this time she left. For the first time in her life, Rapunzel was going to be alone on her birthday. She was very heartbroken. And angry. First, Mother wouldn't let her out to see the lights, then she slapped her, and now she wasn't even going to be there for her birthday! How could she do this?! Now Rapunzel was all alone with just her sad thoughts and gloomy mood. "At least you will always be there for me" she said to Pascal as she stroked his head.

There was nothing she could do, except play some music. So she started playing piano. And just like her mood, her music was sad and angry and betrayed. She had been playing for hours, when she was interrupted by Pascal's barking. He was looking towards the door, so she went there to check on it. She thought her Mother was back. Maybe she had changed her decision and decided to stay for her birthday! She looked through the peephole, but she didn't see her Mother. She saw a man, trying to open the door. She got scared and picked up the first thing she saw in the kitchen. It was a frying pan. Poor choice of weapon, but she had to make it work. She stood behind the door with the pan raised above her head. When the door opened and the man walked in, she banged the pan against his head.

* * *

Flynn Ryder was a journalist. Well he was a blogger, actually. But he liked calling himself a hardworking journalist. He was brave enough to write the stories that no other journalist would dare to write. Stories which exposed the dirty secrets of rich and powerful people. Those people who would bribe or threaten the newspapers to keep it a secret. That's why he was fired from his old job in the newspaper office. And that's why he started writing blogs. His blogs were very popular. The rich people hated him and would threaten to kill him. But he was too sneaky to get caught by them. He was happy to risk his life to provide justice to the people who were mistreated by these dreadful monsters.

Right now, he was working on exposing Smith. Smith was the personal assistant of a rich businessman, named König. He was selling confidential information to a rival company. Due to this, König was facing a huge loss, while Smith was earning a huge fortune. To get confirmed evidence on this, Flynn had to somehow get access to Smith's computer. With the help of a friend, Mark, who worked for König, he entered their office. As soon as Smith left his office, Flynn started looking through his computer. Within a few minutes, he got all the information he needed. What he found there was enough to expose Smith as well as the rival company. Now he just had to copy that information on his USB drive.

He plugged the USB in and started copying the information. He was just about done, when Mark came in to tell him that Smith was coming back to his office. But Flynn couldn't leave without the information, so he asked Mark to stall him for a while. Unfortunately, Smith entered the office and saw the both of them standing around his computer. The files were now copied on the USB drive, so Flynn unplugged it and ran towards the door. He pushed Smith aside and ran out. Smith couldn't run behind him, but he called the security guards and ordered them to catch him.

Flynn ran out of the building and entered a forest nearby. He kept running until the noises behind him faded. He climbed up a tree and looked out for the guards. He knew he couldn't go back the way he came, those guards were waiting for him out there. So he started walking forward. Soon he saw a building. It was almost completely abandoned, a perfect place for him to hide for a while. It was risky for him to stop on the lower floors, in case someone came there asking for him. Besides there was no way someone would be living in the top floors of the building. So he went straight up to the last floor. He obviously knew how to pick locks, so he started opening one of the doors. He walked into the house and suddenly something banged into his head from behind. Then everything went blank.

* * *

When he woke up, he was loosely tied down to a chair with some clothes, and he was also gagged with another piece of cloth. He just spit the gag out and pulled his hands free. He was about to get up, but once again he was hit in the head. When he woke up for the second time, he was tightly tied down to the chair. There was a piece of cloth in his mouth, and another cloth was tied around his face. He tried to loosen the knots, but it didn't work. When he looked up, he saw a girl standing there with a frying pan in her hand. And an angry looking dog beside her. She was the most beautiful girl he had ever seen. She had huge, green eyes and unusually pale skin. Her blonde hair were so long, they touched the floor. She was looking at him with a smug look and a proudful smile.

"Can't get out this time, can you?", Rapunzel said with a smirk. "See? I told Mother I could handle going out. She would be so proud of me, if she saw me now. I singlehandedly, defeated you." He glared at her . "Enough about me, who are you? What are you doing here? And how did you open the door?!" she asked him. But he just kept glaring at her. "Answer me or I will hit you again!" she pointed the pan towards him. He glared at her and pushed his face forward. "Oh, right! Forgot about it" she said and took the gag out of his mouth.

"Okay. First of all, rude. And also, did you really hit me in the head with a frying pan?! " he said, a little bit confused.

"Just answer me! You are not getting out of that chair, until you answer all my questions" she sneered.

"Ugh! Fine. My name is Flynn Ryder. I am a journalist. I have some important information that I need to report right now. So it would be very nice if you just let me go" he said sarcastically.

"Oh, is that information inside the thing that you had in your pocket?" she enquired.

"The USB drive? Yeah!"

"Yeah. I checked your pockets before I tied you down. I have hidden your information in a place where you would never find it" she said smugly.

"It's there, isn't it?" he asked pointing towards the slightly open, drawer below the television. She couldn't believe he found it out so easily! She again knocked him out with the pan and took the USB out of the drawer. She kept it in the pocket of her night gown, and waited for him to wake up. This was the perfect opportunity. She could use him to get out of the house. She would make him promise to take her out to see the lights and then bring her back safely. And only then will she give him back his USB drive. And Mother wouldn't even have to find out! She would be back long before her Mother.

When he got up again, Flynn was still tied to the chair. But the gag was off. The blonde girl was standing in front him, deep in thought. "Why do you keep hitting me?" he yelled.

"Well now I have kept it in a place where you will never find it" she informed him.

He could clearly see it in her pocket, but didn't want to get hit in the head again. So, he decided to play along. "Fine. You win. What do you want from me? Why won't you let me go?" he asked with a sigh.

"Now you're asking the right questions! How about we make a deal? I will let you go, but you have to take me with you. I need to get out of this house. There is something I need to see. But I have never gone out before. So you will take me out. We will go see the floating lights. And then you safely bring me back home. Only then will I give your USB thing back" she explained.

"Wait a minute. What floating lights?" he asked.

"Every year, on my birthday, tomorrow, I see these lights. Floating up towards the sky. I always see them from my window. But this time I want to get a closer look. And you are going to take me there" she declared.

"You mean the sky lanterns for König's lost daughter? That's what you want to see?" he was starting to formulate a plan of his own. If he could somehow reach there safely, he could directly give König the evidence against Smith. And ask him for protection. This was actually a good thing for him.

"Yes. So, what's your decision? Are you going to take me to see the lights or do you want to stay tied to that chair forever?" she demanded.

"Fine. I'll take you there. But I have a condition. I will take you there. And then you will give me my USB drive. I promise to get you back home safely, but I need to get the USB when I am there. Okay?" he negotiated with her.

She thought about it for a minute. For some weird reason, she trusted him. She believed that he would bring her back home, even after she gave him his USB back. So she said, "Okay. Let's do this". She freed him from the chair, but kept the pan ready to strike him if he tried anything stupid.

"Relax, Blondie. I'm not going to run away. That information is too important for me to just leave it with you. By the way, what's your name again?" he inquired.

"That's none of your business. There's no need to talk so much. Let's get going" she ordered.

"What? So soon? The lanterns are going to be released tomorrow evening. And it's just about an hour's walk from here. We'll go tomorrow. Let's just rest for today" he explained.

"What? No. I don't want to rest. Look, this might be the only time I get to go out of my home. I don't want to waste even a single minute of it. We're going out now. I don't care where we go. We can go to the lantern place tomorrow, but we're leaving this house right now" she declared.

"You're the boss, Blondie. We'll do what you want to do. Let's go. Ready for the greatest adventure of your life?" he asked her.

She looked over at Pascal, who then barked his consent. "Ready."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N : Rapunzel's last name wasn't mentioned in the movie. So, I just made something up. In case you didn't get it, König is her father. That's her last name. It means king in German. I know the plot is getting a little bit complicated, but I'm doing my best to keep it realistic. And the last thing, Eugene is not a thief in my story, because I love him too much to make him do anything illegal.


	4. Chapter 4

Smith had assembled a team for finding Flynn. Two of his guards were standing outside the forest, ready to catch Flynn if he tried to escape. Mike, who did not want to lose his job, was also helping in this task. He was scouring the forest along with Maximus, the guard dog. Flynn had left his jacket behind when he ran off, Maximus took one sniff of it, and now he was ready to find Flynn. Smith had also leaked the news that Flynn was hiding in the forest, so now a few of the other people who also wanted Flynn dead, were hunting him down in the forest. Flynn had made a lot of enemies through his work, and Smith was using it for his benefit. He had made sure that everyone knew where Flynn was supposedly hiding.

Meanwhile...

* * *

"Well, okay then. Go get ready, I'll be right back" Flynn said and went up to the roof, to look around for the guards. He saw a few people roaming the forest, but he couldn't see who they were. He couldn't hide in here forever, so he decided to go out but stay alert and make sure no one saw him. Then he went back to get Rapunzel. "Why aren't you ready?" She still hadn't changed out of her night gown.

"What do you mean? I have my frying pan, your USB drive and some biscuits for Pascal. I'm ready" she answered.

"So you're not changing your dress? And you're also not wearing any shoes?" he enquired, raising an eyebrow.

"Well, I don't have any shoes. And all my clothes look the same, so there's really no need to change" she replied, a little embarrassed.

"Well then we're gonna have to do some shopping first" he said and dropped the topic. They finally left the apartment and went out for the best adventure of their lives.

Rapunzel was thrilled by the fact that she was finally going to go out of her home. She was going to see the world. She was going to see the lanterns! When she got out of the building, she could see the sunset. It was a beautiful view, the sun was slowly descending into the huge trees of the forest. She just stood there, staring at the sun as long as she could see it. While Flynn just stood beside her and alternated looks between her and Pascal, who also, was staring at the sun. Even he hadn't been out of the house in a very long time. When it was finally gone from view, Flynn heard her sniffing and saw that she had tears in her eyes.

Rapunzel was totally freaking out. She couldn't decide what she wanted to do. "It's gone, and I already miss it. Maybe that's why Mother won't let me out. Because she knows that I'm too sensitive to handle it. But it's so beautiful! I have the right to see it all, right? But is this the right way to do it? By betraying Mother? What if she comes back sooner than she said? She'll be so crushed to know that I betrayed her. But she deserves this. She slapped me, and she left me alone on my birthday! But it doesn't mean she deserves to be betrayed by her own daughter! And I am a good daughter, I don't want to be the reason Mother is sad. But I also don't want to be the reason I am sad. I shouldn't go out. I think this much is enough. Okay, this has been a good adventure. Time to go back home! But, what about those lanterns?! I have to see them. I have dreamt about seeing them for so long. That has always been my only dream. I have come so far, I can't turn back now! I have to go. Besides, now that I'm already out, I may as well go see it. Mother's going to be mad anyways. Okay! I'm going! You can't stop me!" she said to no one in particular, and ran towards the trees. Pascal right behind her.

Flynn rolled his eyes and joined them. In her excitement, she banged against a tree and fell down. But she just got up and hugged the tree "Oh! You're so huge!" she exclaimed and once again started running. She stopped when she saw a small plant with little blue flowers. "Aw! They are so pretty!" she said and extended her arm to take those flowers. But Flynn slapped her hand away.

"Those are poisonous. Take those" he said, pointing towards a different plant with pink and purple flowers.

"Oh! Thanks. Those are very pretty too" she gushed and picked those flowers. She sniffed them and sighed. "And they smell so good! Hey, can you put these into my hair, please?" she asked him with her best puppy eye face.

Flynn once again rolled his eyes, but took the flowers and arranged them in her hair. _She looks like a princess_ , he thought. He shook his head and started walking forward. He heard someone moving around nearby. Rapunzel started to say something, but he shushed her.

"Don't shush me!" she complained. He shushed her again and pointed towards his ear, indicating her to listen. The sound was getting closer. He held her hand and pulled her around a tree. He trapped her between a tree and himself, her face towards his. Pascal followed his lead and hid behind her legs. Flynn put a finger on his lips to tell her to stay quiet. He looked over her shoulder and saw a man he faintly recognized, looking around the forest. Probably looking for him. He ducked his head towards Rapunzel's shoulder and waited for the man to go away. When he was sure that it was safe, he stood up straight and looked towards Rapunzel. She was staring at him with her beautiful eyes wide open. They stayed like that for a minute, just staring at each other.

Then Flynn cleared his throat and moved away from her. "Um, sorry. I, uh, I think he was looking for me. I must have written a story exposing some dirty business of his, and now he wants to kill me. Stay here." he said and turned around. He looked around for a tall tree and started climbing up. He stopped when he was high enough to see as far as the edge of the forest. He looked around to see how many people were lurking around in the forest.

"What we looking at?" Rapunzel was sitting on the tree besides him and looking in the same direction as him. He stifled a scream and somehow managed to not fall down the tree.

"Oh, God! You scared me! How did you manage to climb up wearing that dress?" he was really impressed by her climbing skills.

Rapunzel rolled her eyes and repeated, "What we looking at?"

Flynn sighed and pointed towards a man, "That's the man we were hiding from. And there are about 2-3 more all around the forest. And see those two men at the edge of the forest? Those are the guards who were chasing me before. Waiting for me to come out, I guess. And see that man going towards your house? He's my friend, Mark. I guess he's angry because I escaped without him. And looks like he's got an ugly little dog sniffing around for me. So there's a total of six or seven men and a dog hunting me down." He pointed everyone out.

"How are we ever going to get out of this place?!" Rapunzel bellowed.

"You wanted an adventure, right? Well, here it is. I'll get us out of here, but not without your help" he suggested.

"Yes! Let's do it. What do I do?" she asked enthusiastically.

"For now just climb down the tree, Blondie" he said and started climbing down. She was as efficient at climbing down as she was at climbing up. When she reached the ground, he wasn't even halfway down the tree. She looked up at him with triumph. He made a funny face at her and kept climbing down. When he got down, he said, "You're such a show-off! Anyways, here's what we're going to do. Now I'm not sure if all of them are looking for me, but it's better to be safe than sorry. So I'm just going to assume that everyone in this forest wants me dead. And now we know exactly where all of them are. Mark is moving in the opposite direction, so he's not our problem right now. The others are scattered all around the forest, so we'll just have to be careful to not bump into anyone and get to edge of the the forest, where the guards are. I'll explain you the rest of the plan when we get there. Okay?"

"Okay. But next time, _I_ will climb the tree and see where everyone is. You're too slow" Rapunzel teased. Pascal barked his consent.

"Whatever" Flynn glared at them and started walking, Rapunzel and Pascal right behind him. After about half an hour of walking, they stopped. Rapunzel climbed up a tree to check how far they had to go. She came back down and told him that they were on the right path. There was no one around them for at least a five mile radius. She said they'll reach the edge of the forest in about 15 more minutes.

He explained her the rest of his plan, "When we get close enough to see the guards, we will split up. They want me, not you. You are safe. So, you will be my distraction. You two go in from the right direction, I'll hide on the left side. First send your dog out, it'll create a distraction and the guards will turn towards him. Then after a few minutes you go out, calling out the dog's name. Go towards them, and ask them if they have seen the dog. Talk to them. Give me at least 2 minutes. I'll be quick and stealthy. They won't even hear me walk. You just need to make sure they are not looking in my direction. Can you do that?"

"Oh just wait and see what I can do" Rapunzel said with a determined look and started walking. Unfortunately, she didn't see the thorny branch that was lying right in front of her. She stepped on it and shrieked in pain. Flynn quickly kneeled down and gently pulled the thorn out. She kept one hand on his shoulder for support and yelped again. Pascal looked up at her and whimpered. Flynn tied his handkerchief around her foot to stop the bleeding, and then stood back up.

"Are you okay? Does it hurt too much? Can you walk? That's why you're supposed to wear shoes! Here, take mine" he rambled and took his shoes off.

"Hey, relax" she said soothingly, " it's okay. I'm okay. It's not a big deal. You took care of it. I can walk perfectly well. Now put those shoes back on and let's go."

"No. You're wearing them. You don't want to go too rough on that wound. Besides, it'll be quieter for me to walk without shoes" he replied.

"Fine. I'll wear them. You just be careful while walking" she said with concern.

Flynn smirked, "I don't need walking tips from you, Miss I-can't-see-a-thorn."

She glared at him while putting his shoes on. They were too huge for her, but that's all she had. So they will have to do. Though they did slow her down considerably, it took them half an hour to cover the 15 minute distance. When they got closer to the guards, Flynn whispered, "You go right, I'll go left. Remember the plan?" She nodded without saying anything. "Good. See that building over there, meet me behind it. Ready?" He pointed towards a tall building, away from the forest.

"Always" Rapunzel said and walked towards the right side. Pascal followed her. Flynn watched her walk away, a proud smile on his face. She turned around and raised an eyebrow. He gave her a thumbs-up and mouthed, "Okay. Go!". She bent down and whispered something in Pascal's ear and then pointed towards the building Flynn had previously pointed out. She fed him a treat and stood back up. He started running out towards the road. He ran past the guards and they turned around to look at it. They looked back to see who the dog was with, but Rapunzel ducked down just in time.

A few minutes later, Rapunzel ran out towards the road, calling out Pascal's name. The guards once again turned around. She went over towards them and started talking to them, "Did you see a dog? About this big. Light brown hair. Very cute face. I was just walking him around in the forest, when he saw this strange man hiding in a tree, and he just went crazy. Started barking and then I lost control of him and he started running. I've been looking all over for him. I just can't find him. I don't understand why he had to run away like that. He's so small. He can't stand up to the street dogs. What if he gets hurt? I love him so much! I can't bear to be away from him. Why am I wasting my time talking to you?! Did you even see him?" She said it all in one single breath, not giving the guards a chance to speak, completely capturing their attention.

"Wait. What did you say about the man hiding in the tree?" one of the guards asked.

"Well, there was a very strange man sitting in a tree over there" she pointed in a random direction inside the forest. "He was just staring at the road as if he wanted to go out, but couldn't. I think he was crazy. But, anyways. Did you or did you not see my precious little dog?"

The guards looked towards each other and had a silent conversation. One of them walked towards the tree Rapunzel had pointed. The other one said, "Yeah that dog just came out of the forest 2 minutes ago. He ran in that direction". He turned around pointing towards the road.

Meanwhile, as soon as the guards turned towards Rapunzel, Flynn started creeping towards the road. He hid behind a car to make sure the guards were distracted and there was no one else around. Then he slowly started walking towards the other side of the road. Rapunzel was expertly distracting the guards, giving him enough time to safely get away. But just as he was about to enter the lane opposite of the forest and away from the guard's eyes, someone yelled behind him. "Hey! Wait! I see you. You won't get away from me this time!" One of the guards had turned around and seen him. Now he was running towards him in full speed, when suddenly a frying pan banged against his head. He fell down and Rapunzel was standing behind him with the frying pan raised high above her head.

She looked as shocked as he did. But she soon recovered and ran towards him. "Run! Run! Run!" she yelled as she ran past him. He too, started running. They kept running till they reached the place they had decided to meet at. Pascal was already waiting there for them. They all hid behind the building and Rapunzel started laughing. Flynn joined her. "Man, I have to get one of these frying pans for myself" Flynn said between laughs. They leaned against the wall, exhausted from running, and kept laughing. "Oh! Oh god! My stomach hurts! I've never had this much fun in my entire life!" She exclaimed.

"Well you have never met me before" Flynn said and winked at her.

"That's so cheesy!" She laughed and scrunched her nose.

"Well speaking of cheesy, I'm very hungry! Wanna grab a bite?" he asked controlling his laughter. But just on time, their stomachs rumbled, and they started laughing again.

Rapunzel finally managed to stop laughing and said, "I think we really do need to eat."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was the most fun to write. I hope you enjoyed it just as much as me.


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